Homes

Join the counter revolution

FloForm offers full range of countertop options, from laminate to exotic granite

FloForm showcases available options for the bathroom countertop, including engineered stone, quartz and the low-maintenance but attractive Dupont Corian.

Photograph by: Candace Elliott

EDMONTON - A counter revolution is brewing, and Al Brent has ambitious plans.

“World domination,” he says, gesturing to a map on the wall of his office. “Starting from the centre of the universe — Winnipeg.”

He’s joking, of course. Brent, vice-president of FloForm Countertops, is referring to the company’s origins in the Manitoba capital a half-century ago. Since then, it had branched across Western Canada and into the United States, including an Edmonton location that employs about 50 people. In that time, FloForm has become a leading supplier of countertops from across the West, and the only Canadian company accredited by the Marble Institute of America. It was also recently named one of the 50 best-managed companies in Canada by the accounting firm Ernst and Young.

FloForm’s success is built upon making a wide range of alternatives available to consumers, from laminate to granite countertops, and just about everything in between.

Probably the first material that most people think of when they think of countertops is granite. It strikes a balance between form and function, and can be a stunning focal point in a home. It’s also resistant to scratches and heat, but its porosity means it requires regular maintenance in the form of annual sealing.

Granite’s biggest selling point is its natural beauty.

“It’s a piece of art,” Brent says. “Granite’s claim to fame is that it’s a look, it’s a feel. … As long as people know there is maintenance. It’s like a piece of furniture; you have to treat it with care.”

One of FloForm’s offerings is the Artisan Stone collection, with 24 natural granite colours to choose from.

Easy-care elegance

A practical and increasingly popular alternative to granite is engineered stone.

“It mirrors the granite in terms of its elegance and its beauty, with the inherent characteristics of low maintenance and a lifetime warranty,” Brent says.

One of FloForm’s flagship engineered products, made by Cambria, consists of 93 per cent natural quartz and seven per cent resin bonding agent. It is non-porous, so unlike granite, doesn’t require sealing. The Cambria products feature granite-like patterns of swirls and veining throughout the slabs.

“Cambria has very dynamic movement within the slab. It looks just like a natural granite, with the engineered characteristics of a man-made quartz product. That is probably the latest trend in our industry,” Brent says.

One thing is certain about an engineered stone countertop: it’s a product that can very easily be taken for granite. It is so easy to mistake the two, in fact, that on a tour of the warehouse, Brent himself has to do a double-take on a couple of occasions to distinguish Cambria countertops from their granite brethren.

“The advantage of quartz from a consumer’s perspective is that it’s got the look and feel of a natural granite, it produces tighter seams, you get a cleaner cut, and it profiles better,” he says.

Something for everyone

Other countertop options available include solid-surface products like Dupont’s Corian, an attractive, durable, low-maintenance product that comes in a wide variety of colours.

For the ecologically minded, there are Vetrazzo recycled glass and the Heritage wood collection, both made from reclaimed material.

Laminate is another attractive, functional countertop material, at an economical price. The old days of boring, cream-coloured laminates are gone. Now, the material is available in an abundance of colours, including convincing replications of granite patterns.

Brent says that FloForm aims to carry products that will fit the needs of every consumer. Prices begin in the $15-$20 range per square foot for laminates. Standard-grade granite, solid-surface products such as Corian, and quartz products such as Cambria run in the $55-$75 range, while exotic granite runs $85 and up per square foot.

For more information on countertops and FloForm’s product lines, visit floform.com.

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